Books should go further than the internet

Books should go further than the internet. After all, the latter is only used by those who can read and write. Reading to comprehend is a luxury very few children can afford in Alelelele, a village in a once war-ravaged part of Uganda. It is here that the new addition of STEPi children's books in 2022, are being read for the first time in East Africa. Smelly Fish Island has arrived in Alelelele village before internet connection.

Amina, 13, from Alelelele primary school is learning isiXhosa words from a compilation of English translations on every page of Smelly Fish Island. She puts together the letters and correctly makes sound out of them. Ojok, her teacher, thinks books are a means of transport that take us to places where we need no money to go. And he is right, so why can't we take books to children wherever they are and help them travel whenever and wherever they want?

For the last 4 years, I have been living remotely, working with STEPi to bridge the gap between children and books. The reality is, if we want our children to learn to read, so they can read to learn about places, people and the rest of the knowledge needed in this life to be successful, then we need to put them, and books, on the same page. We need to deliberately expose children to books with the motivation that is positive for them. We learn better, and we learn more, from what we love.

Books are tools to teach us. If children fall in love with books, then they will want to learn to read. If they learn to read, then they can read to learn. The goal of education is to create self-reliant human beings; people who are curious and want to grow, to learn, to explore, and of course to read because it is fun, fulfilling and enjoyable. When we learn to read, we become guides in our own world, we can learn, unlearn and relearn; equipping ourselves through the internet, books and other resources with the necessary tools and knowledge to be happy, successful and responsible citizens of the world.

Written by: Micheal Nelson Byaruhanga “AKA Uncle Books” - STEPi Coordinator Uganda